Claymore 2019

Just over a week ago now and here is my belated report on Claymore 2019.  It's great having a wargame show in Edinburgh that we don't have to travel too far to get to and most years it is pretty good with some interesting games and ideas on display.

I'm sure everything will be fine.

This year was a bit lack-lustre for some reason, I'm not sure why. There were a few empty tables meaning some expected groups just hadn't turned up, which was odd.  The traders were mostly there however, although I don't know how busy they were.  Anyway, here are some of the notable games that were on.

Up the Nile

The Iron Brigade's "Up the Nile" scenario (using the Partizan Press rules of the same name) concerned "a ripping yarn set in the sweltering head of the Sudan" (it says here), looked really nice and the buildings were great.  I'm not sure how those lads wading past our old friends the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) got on, however. 

View from the other end of the table

Just to add that I've been to the upper Nile (Lake Albert area) myself half a dozen times and admit I've never seen one.  Mind you, if I'd fallen off the Paraa ferry I expect they'd have turned up sharpish.

Pucharas in the mist (I'm gonna put a hex on you)

Another interesting game was a Falklands War public participation effort with the SAS attacking an Argentine airstrip (Pebble Island).  Pucharas are instantly recognisable, as are the typical tin sheds down there.

Naval gazing

There was also a really nice age of sail game set up by the Border Reivers.  Ships were 1/600 scale paper and wire efforts available as pdf downloads from War Artisan. They looked fantastic and after this I am seriously thinking of getting a few of them.

What shores?

The coastal terrain was also great with some scratch built buildings and various harbour pieces (and jolly boats) by Peter Pig.  Other games that caught my eye included:

• An interesting 15mm forest clash between the Finns and the Russians, with some nice figures and terrain (Gourock Wargames Association);

Can't see the wood for the trees

• A very long (about 5m long in fact) Vietnam convoy type game (SPIT Wargames);

Hue's that coming down the road?

• A rather nice 10mm depiction of the battle of Gitchen from the 1866 Austro-Prussian War (SESWC); and

Sun-dappled fields of death

• An Ottomans vs Imperials display (League of Augsberg) with a very impressive mortar firing off in the centre.

I seem to remember Baron von Munchausen riding one of those

Finally, apart from a few pre-cut bases, I actually bought something: some very useful looking 15mm African/Afghan buildings for my AK47 side-project, from those nice people at Pendraken/Minibits.

I love the smell of laser-cut MDF in the morning